I had mentioned to an acquaintance that I had an Acoustic 260 amp and cab in storage. He needed a bass amp, as he didn't have one at all and couldn't afford much. Today he helped me get it and few other things out of storage. I've got it back here at the house; actually it's still in the car with a load of other stuff, so I haven't plugged it in yet. A quick Ebay check suggests that the head may be worth $450; that's more than I thought it would be. I've also determined after a quick Google that it's a guitar amp; I guess I knew that at one time but could no longer remember. So this may be worth more than my friend can afford; and it may not actually be suitable as a bass amp. Any comments, suggestions?

It is a solid-state head, so it can be used for a bass head. These are collector's items, however, so I would not bother. If I remember right, and I may not, these came with either two 15" Altec 3" voice coil speakers, and a radial horn (Most common), or four 12" speakers, probably Altecs, too. The bottoms seem much harder to find than the heads, and a big consideration of price is the condition of the units. I am a bass player, so I know a lot more about the 360, 370, and 470 models. I would not consider over a $1,000 too much for a decent set 260 head and 261 bottom (with horn). A pristine set would not be over priced at $1,500 to $2,000 - Someone will pay that much or they won't. Note: Shipping on the bottoms has caused many bottoms to be parted out and the box discarded. Grills, logos, casters, handles, etc. go for a premium price. With the price of fuel going so high, shipping will be outrageous these days on something so heavy.

However, the way to judge value from eBay is to watch over time and see what they sell for, not what they list for. Many times sellers on eBay know less about what they are selling than the average buyer of the items do. If you want what the market will bear on these items, put them on eBay and let you friend bid against who ever is shopping for vintage Acoustic gear that week. I would not want this for a bass amp, nor would I really recommend it to other, as it was designed for the sound range of a guitar (Speakers), plus the head would be too dirty for most people's tastes these days, and a much cheaper head with newer tech would probably be cleaner and better sounding as a bass head. Do some google searches on your stuff and research it a bit. Can't hurt. (Still no spell checker here?! Aigoo . . .)

Didn't notice it was you, Dave. You know the ins and outs of eBay. Ignore that part.

Thanks for the info Thomas. Yes, the cab weighs a ton! And it's the 2x15 w/ horn. I had no idea it was a collector's item. I picked it up in 1973; traded an Ampeg V-4B for it. I don't recall ever gigging with it, and I gave it to my dad, who used it once a year as a PA for the recorded portion of an outdoor nativity play he put on. I "inherited" it, and it's been in storage for a while.

I guess the next step is to plug it in and see what kind of condition it's in.

Yeah, the weight issue has me hesitant about listing it on Ebay. Not sure what to do about that.

Bill; good suggestion. I've tried Craigslist for other music equipment, and received few responses; so I wasn't sure this was the type of thing that would work there. My area, Asheville, is significantly smaller than yours! But I think I'll give it a try; thanks!

I like these Craigslist ideas. I hate to see these old amps parted out. They are cool just sitting around for decor (Who ain't married?). I have bought large speakers from eBay that got put on pallets for shipping and were trucked to me. Pricey? Yep. Worth the price? Yep. To me, anyway.

Hey Bill. How are you? I am just lurking around waiting for the right bass to pop up and then I will grab it fast and this time keep it - NO MATTER WHAT! I got no complaints. Have fun and take care.

Just stumbled onto this site through the Acoustic 260 connection. Information here is correct as far as make, whats included application, etc. The only issue is pricing. Poor Nigel has fairly accurate pricing as far as a small contingent of real "collectors" go. Some even suggest higher pricing. The real market is not so forgiving. Powered 261 bottom recently went for $300. I have a 261 bottom I got for $600. Best price for a "complete" was a mint 262 with the four 12" altecs that is REALLY REALLY rare and that went for $1,800. As far as the 260 head goes-- some ups and downs. I have gotten hold of three over time all $300 or less. Of course, they usually need some degree of work. Even the "closet kep" ones lose caps specs through age, etc. Guess the bottom line is that the Acoustic 360/361 and 370/371 series bass amps hold more value for people than even these rare guitar models. My suggestion would be to contact me as I look to collect, and if you want the higher end dollar recommended (which I probably could not afford) I have two collectors I know who may be interested. AND YES...these can be shipped. Have done it on one as well as similar sized cabs/amps. Just for grins: This is not the Dave Houck that I tried to buy a Twin Reverb from in 1972 in Albuquerque is it? Alan (502) 254-3713